By now, it’s redundant to say that cats have taken over the Internet. A quick perusal of social media will always involve stories of our furry friends: here’s a feline sitting on its box throne; there’s another demanding to be served its milk; and here’s another curled up, pushing its human roomie out onto the unsleepable fringes of the bed.
Humans are so fond of cats. We just can’t help it. We might not understand how they put us under their spell, but here’s a chance to understand their behavior better. Read on and turn your fondness for cats into love by better understanding how they communicate.
1. Cat Stare
Cats like to gaze into open spaces as though reflecting on life. They also have a habit of staring at humans, often with unblinking focus. We might wonder if they’re plotting our demise, thinking about taking us down when we’re at our most vulnerable.
But a cat’s stare might just mean that they want something. They might want to sit on your lap, be fed, or sleep beside you. A soft, blinking gaze may be their way of showing their affection. But beware a prolonged, intense stare. This usually precedes an attack.
2. Hungry for Attention
It’s funny how cats know just when to bother you at the perfect time. When you’re all dressed up and ready to go to work, it’ll follow you everywhere around the house until you finally give in to its demands for a few minutes of cuddling.
There’s no use bargaining. Not giving them what they want only leads to trouble. Your cat might be found licking itself innocently next to broken ornaments or lounging on the table where your mug once sat, or even rolling itself across your keyboard, sending incomprehensible messages and emails out into the world.
3. Anarchist Cats
The great American writer Ernest Hemingway used to have more than fifty cats in his abode in Key West, where he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. Most of them were polydactyl cats that he liked to call “the best anarchists”. This might be because cats are highly opinionated creatures, not unlike Hemingway himself.
Unlike dogs, kitties will only approach humans when they feel like it. Cats are in no way obedient and can very rarely be ordered to do anything. They are capable of love and affection, but it has to be on their terms.
4. Furry Masseuse
It takes more time to earn the trust of a feline than that of a pooch. Those who are patient and brave enough to take a few scratches will eventually win their furry friend over. Some owners, after earning their cat’s hard-earned trust, swear they get massages from time to time.
This behavior can be traced back to their time as kittens. When their gentle pinkish paws kneaded their mother’s mammary gland when feeding, they were pressing for more milk. When a cat kneads a human, it means that it’s comfortable with you. It’s an expression of their love, contentment, and pleasure.
5. Why Cats Sniff
Cats are a little bit like dogs in that they like to sniff the place out, especially when they enter new territory. This is their way of figuring out their environment. Being cautious creatures, they are always analyzing places and people, as well as the activities of other animals.
Cats sniff humans to get used to their scent, only if they deem you worthy. It’s their way of bonding, marking you as a familiar. Cats also use their sense of smell to identify food or to determine whether another animal is a friend or foe.
6. Detecting an Eating Disorder
An alleycat in the street is likely to take anything you feed them. With gusto, especially if they are famished or in survival mode. Cats are clever scavengers who will scrounge dumpsters for leftover food to get through the day.
But under better circumstances, felines tend to be choosy with their food. They dislike repetitive meals and hate chewing on plastic. If you see a cat eating plastic or non-food materials, it’s likely to have an eating disorder called pica.
7. Warming up to Hunt
Cats are extremely observant. They tend to pick their spots by the window, examining all the minute details of the backyard. Sometimes you’ll forget they’re there because they’re so quiet, like humans in deep study, prepping for an important test.
If they get noisy while eyeing prey, it means they are frustrated, perhaps because of a barrier. If they’re calm while mouthing certain sounds, this might mean they’re warming their muscles up for a kill.
8. Tell Tail Signs
New cat parents might wonder what it means when their feline baby walks towards them with its tail up straight, like a lighthouse scanning the ocean. It could be interpreted by some as an aggressive stance by an angry cat, with its tail up in the air like the blade of a sword, ready to come slicing down.
But a straight tail means that your cat trusts you completely. An upright tail is a display of openness. It means that it’s happy to be around you. If your cat turns its back on you, it’s giving you permission to stroke its back.
9. Exposed Belly
It is perfectly normal for domesticated animals to behave defensively, just like their cousins in the wild, especially when they’re out guarding their territory or going further afield. It’s simply in their DNA to be wary of danger.
So when cats roll on the floor and expose their tummies, it’s fairly obvious what they’re saying. They are comfortable and relaxed around you. An exposed tummy is also their way of giving you the green light for a belly rub. It might also mean playtime with a checkered ball or a certain squeaky rubber ducky.
10. Hyperactive After Dark
Cats love to slumber during the day, way beyond how often humans sleep especially on a full stomach. On average, they can sleep from twelve to sixteen hours to the great envy of their hardworking owners, who could only imagine such luxuries in their lives.
Having slept so much in the day, they wake up with an abundance of energy to spend in the nighttime. If there’s an absence of prey to hunt, cats can become noisy and restless. If they end up breaking things, remember not to take it too personally.
11. Cats Favor Confined Spaces
Domesticated cats never lost the predatory instincts that their bigger and wilder ancestors handed down to them. They are skilled hunters and plan raids even if they are regularly fed at home. As well as being skilled hunters, cats defend themselves pretty well too.
Don’t be too surprised to see your cat nestled in confined spaces. They love the strategic advantage that a cardboard box gives them, just in the same way their wild ancestors would use boulders and caves which shielded their backs from attack.
12. High Energy
Cats are designed to fend for themselves. They’re ready to survive the worst the world can throw at them, and they have a lot of energy stored up for that exact purpose. When cats live in comfort with all the convenience that an owner brings, they end up not knowing what to do with all that energy, like a fully fueled race car with nowhere to go.
To burn off all that excess energy, cats play games. They go on pretend hunts, chase balls, or go running around the house. There’s nothing wrong with them if they act that way. They’re just energized and bored.
13. Cats Give You Goodies
Most people treat their pets like family. Some even treat pets as if they were their own children. The good news is that cats are capable of loving us back. They can tell when they are being adored or being pampered. Oftentimes, they will try to return the favor.
To show their gratitude, cats bring their owners gifts: dead mice, bugs, a bouquet of dead plants on the bed. All thoughtful goodies in their eyes, but horrific sights to us. It’s the thought that counts, right?
14. How Cats Behave in a Safe Environment
Cat parents like to share stories about their pets being lazy at home, how they can be seen lying down and getting up only to eat. In between those two endeavors, they might also indulge in a bit of a stretch. If they are found relaxing to the max all day, every day, it means that they have found a place that they can call home.
They feel comfortable because they aren’t threatened by a thing. These are signs that they have let their guard down, content with being the king of their castle.
15. Covering Their Tracks
Cats instinctively search for sandy places to defecate so they can also bury their refuse afterward. It’s part of their self-defense, like spies habitually covering their tracks to avoid being caught.
People love them even more for this, as it keeps a home smelling fresh and clean. Finding your cat straying from this instinctive behavior might be a cause for concern. Better consult with a veterinarian if it happens.
16. Pay Attention to Cat’s Ears
Where a cat’s sense of smell falls short compared to that of a dog, it makes up for it with a strong sense of hearing. A cat’s ears have tufts and pockets that enhance its sensitivity to higher and lower sound frequencies. With such powerful ears, a cat can detect even the slightest movements which would have gone unnoticed by a canine.
You can also tell by their ears if they’re angry. If their ears are cocked backward, it means that they are becoming aggressive. A normal position means it is safe to pet them.
17. Cat Sparring
This pastime isn’t as common as their other favorite forms of entertainment, such as playing games, hopping about on random platforms, or play-hunting. Cats are highly intelligent creatures and see these activities as manifestations of their creativity. People who don’t get this behavior tend to think they are weird.
But it’s not that weird. When they pretend to attack your feet, moving in and out like a hacksaw, they’re simply pretending to hunt, honing their ability without actually intending to harm you. Think of your cat as a prizefighter sparring with its partner.
18. They Love to Sleep
It’s not uncommon for cat owners to come home after a long day of work to find their cats in the same place they were in when they left. Cats sleep for around fifteen hours a day, and may even sleep for longer as they age.
There’s nothing wrong with them. When they do this, cats are saving energy so they can hunt at night. Humans think they’re being lazy, but cats call it being energy efficient. This is a trait they inherited from their predatory ancestors, not a sign of laziness.
19. Disturbing Behavior
Cats exhibit all sorts of peculiar behaviors which can be charmingly entertaining to humans. Some of these performances are exclusive to cats, but even if they weren’t, they’d still pull off their antics and create cuteness overloads, on or off the internet.
When cats sulk in a corner, it’s nothing to be alarmed about. But if you see your dear feline bumping its head against the wall, it might be experiencing trauma or suffering from a serious tumor that needs examination right away.
20. Soothing Sounds
The low-frequency hum of a cat’s purr subliminally calms all those within range. It’s an alien sound that soothes our minds and invites us to relax. Cats usually produce a purr when their human caresses or strokes them, as an encouragement to continue.
Cats use purring like a palliative, to relieve stress and to calm their senses. A cat’s purr is like organic medicine. Some researchers say it may heal them if they have minor wounds and can help their bodies promote muscle repair.
21. Trailing Behind Like a Shadow
Cats have a habit of ignoring their master’s call, in contrast to dogs who are consistently eager to please their masters. Cats tend to be snobbish, attending exclusively to their own selfish whims. At other times, however, they might decide to trail you like a shadow.
Cats might just feel secure around their beloved humans. But they also like to be in control, thus their curiosity pushes them to seek answers in everything. That might explain why they tend to follow us around, even when we go to the john.
22. Sign of Defensiveness
Other than reading tail signals, it may be hard to tell a cat’s emotions. Unless it hisses and shows obvious signs of distress, cats are easily misunderstood, a mistake which often leads to scratch marks. That’s a cat for you. And that’s partly why humans love them. They are cute but often quite unpredictable.
But one way of telling that they are feeling defensive is when their tail is curved downward. It shows they are on the alert and may have sighted prey or danger in the vicinity.
